


Eavesdropping

by Opal_ex_Machina



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, I'm embarrassed by my own writing, Link makes it better, Shameless Smut, Zelda has a bad day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 20:48:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10952457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opal_ex_Machina/pseuds/Opal_ex_Machina
Summary: The women of Hyrule castle loved to talk. And so when Zelda overhears some unpleasant gossip, there's only one thing to be done.





	Eavesdropping

The women of Hyrule castle loved to talk.

From the scullery maids to the noble women, it seemed the only things they needed were a mouth and an audience of approximate social standing to divulge their deepest secrets. Zelda was rarely included in these conversations; when she would come upon a group of tittering women, they would often scatter or fall into into suspicious silences with pointed looks sent her way, or equally suspicious conversations about the weather, likely believing that the perfect, golden haired princess with a divine birthright would simply be above all that tawdry gossip

Out of curiosity tinged with resentment at her exclusion, Zelda had learned to listen before rounding corners or entering rooms, and, over the years, become quite skilled at eavesdropping.

From what she could glean, the favourite topic was, perhaps unsurprisingly, sex. Who was rumoured to be having it and with whom. Who was most certainly not having it with their husbands, and who they were most certainly having it with instead. Who said husbands had likewise been seen with. She was quite often the subject of speculation, something that had bothered her once, but now she just found it rather amusing to hear who supposedly held her heart, or who held her elsewhere.

And so when Zelda, returning unaccompanied from the library with a small mountain of books balanced precariously under her arm, heard female voices bouncing down the hall in her direction, she did what any princess would do, and ducked behind a tapestry into an alcove that once held a statue, but which now only had a worn pedestal.

“I’m telling you, she’s found somebody willing to grope for trout.”

This was met with a snort of disbelief followed by a short, sharp laugh. “Her? There’s no way in hell.”

A third voice chimed in, “Tell that to her sheets. You should have seen the state they were in.”

The first voice came back quickly, “Who do you suppose it was? I’m surprised anyone thought to try with her.”

“I bet it was, oh, what’s his name, that emissary from Holodrum. He seemed rather smitten.”

“My rupees are on the swordsman. Have you seen the way she looks at him? And he’s so cute.”

“No way. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look twice at a woman. And with looks like his, I’m sure he’s a, er, back gammon player.”

That last phrase was said with delicacy, but was also laden with meaning unknown to Zelda. A fourth, juvenile voice echoed Zelda’s own thoughts, “He’s a what?”

The second voice returned with, “It means he has sex with other men. But as for the princess, that girl’s a virgin as surely as the sun’s going to set tonight.”

“Oh, It can’t be that impossible, she’s so lovely.”

“Yeah she’s got a nice face, but she’s a prig. Trust me, a three legged horse is more likely to win a race than that girl is to find a lover. Eventually her father’s just going to pawn her off to the highest bidder, that’s how it always goes with these royals. They’re not good for much other than looking pretty and making heirs. And her mother couldn’t even manage that properly.”

As the voices began to fade, Zelda gnawed at her lip, waiting till she was sure she could come out of hiding. As much as she wanted to stride out from her hiding place and put those maids in their place and quite possibly fire them, it would hardly help her image to be found eavesdropping from a dusty alcove, and it seemed as she’d already been careless enough. That, and the blush she could feel burning across her cheeks- a mixture of mortification, anger, and shame- would surely have undermined anything she could have said.

But, for all that her looks and mien suggested, and her position demanded, virgin she was not. Granted, that was a recent development. And, for fairly obvious reasons, one that needed to stay a secret.

But, it was her secret. Their secret, a fact that thrilled her to her core and could almost mask the sting of everything she’d just heard. Almost.

Back in her room, she tried to read, but barely managed a paragraph before aggressively flipping the book shut and pushing back from her desk with an angry snort. She paced quickly from one end of the room to the other. And then again. And again.

She was no stranger to the things people said about her, their glib comments when she was in eyesight, the things muttered when they didn’t know she could hear. She had grown hardened to them, but the things this maid had said ate away at her.

She wanted to hit something, to fling herself onto her bed, to scream.

But that would send the guards running in, something she didn’t have the inclination or the patience to deal with.

If he had been there, she would have. But he had the day off.

She wanted to get out, far away from the suffocating stone walls and people she couldn’t stand, out where she could feel the sun and the wind would down out all the disapproving voices. But she would hardly be allowed to do that alone, and constant supervision from some knight she barely knew would defeat the purpose of going outside anyway.

This was the last day off he was going to get. Who even decided he could have one in the first place? He was a champion after all, they couldn’t have days off. So what if his brother just had a baby? What if she had needed him? She did need him.

She wanted him.  
…………

As the day wore on, her mood darkened. Finding that none of the usual distractions could keep her attention for very long, she had taken to intermittently pacing in front of her large, south facing windows, watching for any sign of a familiar, solid bay and his sandy haired rider on the path to the castle.

A steward came to inform her that dinner was being served in the dining hall, and she informed him that she wouldn’t be going, and he bowed and left without trying to convince her to do otherwise.

By the time the sky began to darken without any sight of him, Zelda was furious. The castle gates would be shutting soon, leaving him no way of getting in, even though he had promised to come see her that night as soon as he got back.

As the moon was rising higher in the sky and Zelda had unhappily accepted that he wouldn’t be back today, despite what he had said, a maid came in to help her undress, and upon recognising the voice, Zelda made note of the woman’s name, deciding to request a new maid the next day.

“Did the guard outside bother you too much? They always take their posts too seriously,” Zelda said, vindictively hoping that the woman had been harassed.

“Oh, there was no guard,” the woman said absently as she tugged gently at the strings of Zelda’s corset.

“Really?” Zelda was genuinely surprised; it wasn’t like her father to leave her without a watchful pair of eyes for long.

“M-hm,” she hummed. “There’s really no need, since your knight’s back.”

“He is? How long has he been here?” Now it was surprise tinged with anger.

The woman took an infuriatingly long time before answering, “Oh, a while.”

By this point, anything with laces had been removed, and so Zelda, who could feel an angry flush rising, cooly intoned, “I’m perfectly capable of undressing myself from this point. You’re dismissed.”

The woman curtsied and left.

Her years of political training told her that her best course of action was to simply go to bed and deal with her feelings in the morning once she had a bit of distance. She was clearly too upset to handle any sort of situation well, and so she pulled her nightdress over her head, blew out the last remaining candles in her room with short, sharp puffs of air, and then climbed into bed.

He said he would come see her as soon as he got back. Well apparently, he’d been back for a while- long enough to run into half the castle staff apparently- and he had yet to come see her.

She threw back the covers and stormed out of her room. Fortunately, she didn't have far to go, as he had moved into the suite of rooms directly beneath hers upon becoming her appointed knight, something she had only recently begun to fully appreciate.

She yanked on the heavy wooden door- of course he’d left it unlocked- and stormed into his room, glowering fit to kill a man.

He was standing barefoot, his back to her, but he pivoted when he heard her enter. “Zel-da?” his voice changing halfway through from excitement to confused panic when he caught sight of her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Why the hell didn’t you come to see me when you got back?” she was practically shouting and Link looked almost terrified.

“I only just got here. I was just going to get changed because I smell like a horse.” “That’s not possible. The gates closed two hours ago.”

“No, I came in through the docks. They ferry food to the kitchens at night and I came in that way. I may have spent a little longer than I meant to in the kitchen, but my brother’s cooking could kill a man, so I haven’t eaten much today.” He tipped his head at a brimming plate sitting on his desk before shooting her a chagrinned half smile that was making it harder and harder for Zelda to stay angry.

“But why not just ride back like a normal person? You’d have been back so much sooner.”

“Galen threw a shoe this afternoon and my brother promised to take him to the farrier in Castle Town,” he raised a hand to the nape of his neck, and Zelda could see the tips of his ears flush pink. “This way took longer, but I couldn’t ride Galen and I really wanted to see you tonight, so I figured it was better for me to get back late rather than not at all.”

Feeling deflated, Zelda gave a simple, “Oh,” and then utterly unsure of what to do, turned silently to leave.

But before she could make it out the door, his arms closed around her as he murmured, “What are you doing? Please don’t go.”

He sounded more confused than anything, and Zelda acquiesced, melting back into his embrace. He held her like that for a minute, his temple resting gently against her cheek. He pulled away, but only far enough to scoop her up and carry her to his bed, placing her down gently and then sitting beside her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her to his side.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

She didn’t answer, merely bit her lip and plucked absently at the fabric of his shirt. She so rarely saw him dressed in anything other than his champion’s tunic, but the navy fabric he was wearing now suited him nicely.

He pressed a quick kiss to her hair. “Sorry I smell like horse.”

She looked up at him wide eyed, “No, that’s not the problem at all, I…” she blushed lightly, “I actually quite like it, it’s just… I…” she pushed suddenly out of his embrace, sitting on her knees across from him. She looked into those earnest blue eyes, practically gnawing her lip now. He looked back at her, clearly nervous about what she might say. She had to ask, blurting out on one rushed breath, “Would you rather have sex with another man than with me?”

The moron had the nerve to laugh at her.

“Link, stop it, I’m serious!”

He stopped and an insecure look blossomed across his features as a thought occurred to him. “Have I done anything to make you think that?”

“No, but, just answer the question.” “No, I don’t. The only person I really want to have sex with is you. What did I do to make you think anything else? I’m sorry I was late tonight, but I really was about to come up and see you.”

Tears were beginning to well in Zelda’s eyes, and Link was looking panicked again.

“No, its not you at all! It’s just… I was so cruel to you for so long, and you’re so wonderful and you could have anyone you want, and I…why me?”

“Because I love you.”

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and it wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but it was maybe the first time Zelda really believed him.

She began to cry in earnest, and he sat up, pulling her back to back against his chest, cradling her head in the crook of his neck.

“Zelda, please, tell me what’s wrong. And don’t say nothing, because that’s obviously not true.”

“I overheard some maids this afternoon. Talking about me. And about you,” she sniffled.

“Have they figured anything out?”

“No, the opposite actually, but I do think we’re going to need to be more careful.”

“I’m assuming they think I prefer men, and that’s why you asked.”

She nodded against his chest.

“Well, then they obviously don’t know what they’re talking about,” he brushed the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear, “so you shouldn’t believe anything they said.”

She’d nearly stopped crying now, with only the occasional tear escaping down her face. “I know I shouldn’t let it bother me, but sometimes I feel like I’m a sham princess, and everyone adores my father, and I’ll never measure up to him, and I can’t do any of the things I’m supposed to, and the only thing I’ll ever be is a pawn to be conveniently married off, if Hyrule even survives that long.”

“You’re not a sham.” He swiped a thumb over her damp cheek, brushing away a rogue tear, before tilting her face up and softly pressing his lips to hers. “And I’d be more than happy kidnap you before the wedding, if you don’t want to get married.”

She smiled and laughed gently, her voice slightly hoarse from crying. “You’d do that for me?” the teasing humour evident in the exaggerated arch of her eyebrow.

His response was genuine, earnest; “You know I’d do anything for you.”

Deserted by her words for the second time that evening, Zelda did the only thing she could think to, and, reaching up, took Link’s face in her hands and kissed him, pouring out the emotion which had been building all day. Moments or eons she drew back a hair’s breath and whispered, “I love you.”

She could feel his smile curve against her lips, “I love you too princess.”

Zelda closed the distance again, kissing him briefly before pulling back fully and repositioning herself to kneel between his knees.

He brought his hands up to cup her face, thumbs drifting over her cheek bones. “Feeling better?” he asked breathlessly.

She nodded, smiling softly.

He grinned back at her before pulling her face back to his, kissing her sweetly at first, and then with mounting desperation. She matched him easily, delicate hands pressing against his chest, tangling in the fabric of his shirt.

He nipped pleadingly at her lip, and she opened for him willingly, not bothering to stifle her moan when his tongue slid into her mouth. One of her hands slid upwards to tangle in his hair as one of his slid down, tracing circles on her back, dipping lower and lower with each pass.

She pulled away, gasping for breath, and Link darted forward, pressing kisses down her neck. He paused his trek for a moment, nipping gently and then suckling at a point just beneath her clavicle.

She gave a warning “Careful,” and he chuckled against her skin.

“No one,” he kissed that spot again, “is going to see it,” He kissed her again, slightly lower, “under,” and again, still inching his way down, “your shirt.”

He was quickly running out of skin, and both of his hands skimmed down her body to tug at the hem of her night gown, but it was trapped under her knees, and Zelda wasn’t moving.

She laughed quietly at his frustrated grunt before batting his hands away. “My turn first.”

Her slim fingers slipped the belt from his waist with a practiced ease, sending it snaking across the room. She tugged at the hem of his shirt, and he shifted, raising his arms as she pulled it off of him, throwing it in the same direction as his belt. She sat back, eyes roving over his flushed, naked chest, followed by light inquisitive fingers. They lingered on a long, slim scar across his pectoral, a reminder of an encounter with the Yiga. She leaned in and kissed it, her fingertips skimming lower and lower down the planes of his stomach.

She couldn’t help the grin spreading across her face at the rapturous look on his when her hands drifted lower, ghosting over the prominent bulge in his trousers.

“Zelda,” he choked out.

Abandoning her ministrations, she began to raise her nightgown with agonising slowness, growing ever more aroused by the hungry look in Link’s eyes as he watched inch after inch of creamy skin appear from beneath the fabric. Finally he could see her breasts, and then the nightgown was gone, following after his own clothes.

He surged forward, catching her by the waist and throwing her down against the bed. She laughed, chest heaving, and with her golden hair splayed across his pillows, Link thought she looked divine.

He crawled over her, resuming his trail of kisses, but this time they were open mouthed, sloppy, searing their way down her chest. He paused briefly at her breasts, running calloused hands over their gentle swells before lowering his mouth to one hardened peak.

She made a noise somewhere between a cry and a moan, her back arching slightly into his mouth. As he held himself up from her with one arm braced against the bed, the other slipped between then, skating its way down her body, coming to rest at the juncture of her thighs. Fumblingly, he found her clitoris, his fingers tracing circles around it until her hips had begun to twitch and her breaths were short and sharp.

“Link… Please,” she breathed out, little more than a broken whisper.

He stopped his motions, sitting up and tugging at the ties of his trousers, awkwardly worming his way out of them and breathing a visible sigh of relief as his erection sprang free. He tossed them aside before crawling back over her. He ran his fingers over her cheek and kissed her tenderly, almost chastely if not for the way his erection brushed against her, making her squirm with desire.

“Ready?” he murmured, his voice strained.

“M-hm,” she assented, her voice catching in her throat.

He shifted, entering her slowly. She let out a low moan, digging her fingernails into his back as she clenched around him.

He kissed her deeply, swallowing her grunts and gasps of pleasure as he began to move inside her.

Her hands roamed over his shoulders, feeling the muscles of his back ripple under her fingertips as he thrust into her. One of his hands clutched almost bruisingly at her thigh, pulling it up against his waist, and she wrapped her leg around him, groaning at the deepened angle.

A low moan escaped him, and she looked up. His eyes were screwed shut, concentration and something that one could almost mistake for pain written across his features.

Her breathing came in short, sharp gasps, and the movement of her hips as they rose to meet his grew spastic and uncontrolled. She brought her hand up to tangle in his hair, tugging roughly as one of his hands slid between them, thumb fumbling blindly for her clitoris.

He found it, and she could feel the heat pooling in her belly begin coil and tighten.

And then suddenly it was all too much and she came undone, her back arching wildly up into his chest, moaning his name louder than she had meant to.

His hips stilled, and he waited until she’d finished trembling, pressing soft kisses along her clavicle and along the swells of her breasts.

She gave him a lazy smile. “Good?” he asked, and she hummed her assent. He returned her smile and began to push himself up. She could feel his hips pull back from hers, but this time felt different from before, and quicker than he could have thought possible, she wrapped her legs around him, forcing him back and trapping him before he could fully withdraw.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

He looked genuinely pained now, and vaguely guilty. “Zelda, I can’t. Not… not in you.”

“Oh, for goddess’s sake, Link, we've gone through this before.”

“Zelda, you know…”

He never got the chance to finish. Her legs still tight around him, keeping him in place, she arched up, kissing him deeply. His body grew still, but she could almost feel his muscles trembling as she kissed her way up his cheek, suckling gently at a spot under his ear. “I don’t care about your reasons,” she whispered huskily into his skin, punctuated with a roll of her hips which made him whimper. “I want to feel you. Inside me. Filling me.”

She felt him nod shortly, breathing out, “If that’s what you want princess.”

She lay back against the pillows, smiling up at him and loosened her grip on him.

He dropped his head to her throat, sighing against her skin before thrusting back into her. He was moving faster now, his breathing ragged. She brought a hand back up to his hair, tugging lightly.

She could feel his thrusts growing more erratic, less controlled. One of his hands fisted in his sheets, while the other clutched at her waist.

He finally came with a low cry, muffled against her skin as his hips stilled and his whole body shuddered against her.

He collapsed on top of her, still breathing heavily, and she cradled his head against her neck. After a moment, he rolled onto his back beside her, pulling her towards him. She grinned up at him, one leg draped over his and her head pillowed on his shoulder. Her fingers brushed lightly over his chest, finding those familiar scars.

He sighed. “You should probably go back to your room. I think I’d be executed if anyone found you here like this.”

“Surely I don’t have to go right now. No one’s going to be looking for me in the middle of the night.”

He glanced out the window at the night sky and then back at her, a smile sliding across his features. “I suppose you’re right.”

Outside, the constellations danced across their inky black stage and the full moon hung heavy in the sky, casting soft light on a scene that had grown long familiar to them, but what exactly they had seen pass between the princesses and her hero, they would never tell.

**Author's Note:**

> When I started writing this, it was supposed to be ‘Zelda hears some sexy gossip and then goes and jumps Link’s bones’ but then this happened, I guess. I feel like botw Zelink has been kind of neglected in terms of smut, and I figured if that bothered me so much I should do my best to fix it.
> 
> Just a few notes, I have a headcanon that Zelda’s mom died in childbirth with a boy, which just makes her feelings of inadequacy so much worse. And another head cannon that Link was the youngest of a bunch of sons, and so he constantly feels the need to prove himself and live up to his brothers’ reputations. 
> 
> Also historical euphemisms for sex all sound so horrible.
> 
> Also I tend to post things on my tumblr, opal-writes-stuff.tumblr.com, a day or two before I post here, so if you want to see things ahead of time or ask questions or make suggestions (which I would be more than happy to follow) go check me out there.


End file.
